Health · Mental Health · 1 day ago
Study finds partner gratitude may encourage future help
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh examined whether people are more willing to help a partner after that partner expresses gratitude.
They studied this question in three studies, including experiments in which participants imagined helping a partner with career goals.
Across the studies, the findings generally supported the idea that gratitude can encourage future intentions to help.
The link was especially strong among people who were more satisfied with their relationship.
Earlier research had found that gratitude can strengthen close relationships, but these studies focused on whether it could also prompt practical help.
The findings suggest that saying thanks may support the give-and-take that partners rely on, although the studies measured intentions to help rather than help actually provided.
A Psychology Today article reports that research by University of Pittsburgh authors Emily R. O’Brien and Amanda L. Forest examined whether gratitude can encourage partners to provide future help.
The researchers conducted three studies, beginning with a correlational survey and followed by two experiments using online samples.
In the experiments, participants considered scenarios in which a partner expressed thanks for help with career goals, with a later study also examining whether the partner achieved those goals.
The article says the findings supported a link between expressions of gratitude and future intentions to help, especially among people who rated their relationships highly.
The first study used an online sample of adults with an average age of 39, and the authors noted that self-report bias could affect its results.
- Who
- University of Pittsburgh researchers Emily R. O’Brien and Amanda L. Forest
- What
- Research on whether gratitude between partners is associated with future intentions to help
- When
- The article was published on October 10, 2026; the research is cited as O’Brien and Forest (2026)
- Where
- University of Pittsburgh; the studies used online samples
- Why
- To investigate whether gratitude can encourage partners to provide instrumental help
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
by signaling that these relationships are communal (p. 3048).
This story does not have a timeline yet.
- Researchers
- Emily R. O’Brien and Amanda L. Forest of the University of Pittsburgh
- Number of studies
- Three
- First study sample
- Online adult participants with an average age of 39
- Article publication date
- October 10, 2026
Sources
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